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Point Reyes National Seashore Neighbors Dedicated to Saving the Fallow and Axis Deer

In the summer of 2007, the National Park Service began exterminating our deer. Over the past few months, they have killed hundreds of local deer. The citizens of Marin County, California, the Marin Humane Society, In Defense of Animals, WildCare, U.S. Representative Lynn Woolsey, and State Senator Carol Migden respectfully request non-violent management of the deer instead of inhumane slaughter.

The Basic Facts:

The Fallow and Axis Deer were brought to the Point Reyes National Seashore by humans in 1948. The deer have since naturalized in the vast and beautiful surroundings.

The Fallow Deer range from black to speckled to pure white in color, and are beloved by locals and the millions of tourists who visit the seashore annually. Fallow Deer are found almost entirely east of the Inverness Ridge throughout the Olema Valley. The small herd of the Park's approximately 250 speckled Axis Deer live almost entirely west of the Inverness Ridge.

Under the leadership of Point Reyes National Seashore Superintendent Don Neubacher, the National Park Service has hired mercenary animal exterminators White Buffalo, Inc. to slaughter the deer. Their methods for exterminating animals include gunning them down, suffocating them with plastic bags over their heads, and using a slaughterhouse killing device known as a captive bolt.

The ugly truth about the National Park Service's methods was exposed by recently retired Channel Island National Park Superintendent, Tim J. Setnicka, who publicly documented the accepted system of false vilification of targeted animals, purposeful misrepresentation of scientific facts to the public, lack of thorough scientific research, and the inhumane deaths of the animals involved.

Friends of the White Deer, The Marin Humane Society, In Defense of Animals, WildCare, and U.S. Representative Lynn Woolsey ask for your help in halting the abrupt extermination of the Fallow and Axis Deer. We are asking the NPS to allow time for a complete study of the deer and their relationship to the environment so that a plan for humane preservation and management can be created.

Latest News from The Friends of the White Deer

Update January 2011
In 2009 Congress mandated that no more funds could be allotted to the National Park Service to further reduce the size of the White Deer herd. This legislation effectively ended the campaign to exterminate the deer.
Unfortunately, as of January 2011, there are no breeding males left in the Point Reyes area, so it is anticipated that the few remaining deer will live out their lives and die a natural death within the next ten years.

Our Plan: Friends of the White Deer respectfully request that the NPS develop a policy of management instead of extermination. The National Park Service and the United States Humane Society are authorized to manage the size of wild animal populations via inexpensive contraception. The Point Reyes National Park Service has attempted to represent humane management as being too expensive. However, the methods of management they cite are outdated and do not include the simple and cost-effective use of contraceptive dart technology that is currently in use around the globe. In their fixed goal to simply exterminate the deer, the NPS is choosing to ignore the constantly improving field of affordable contraceptive medicines. The Point Reyes National Park Service currently uses humane contraception to manage the important population of Tule Elk. Friends of the White Deer request that the NPS adopt affordable, humane management practices for the Fallow and Axis Deer in order to maintain a small and highly-valued presence of these deer in the Park.

What Your Donation Will Do: Friends of the White Deer need financial support in order to run educational advertising campaigns that teach locals and visitors about the importance of the Fallow and Axis Deer. We will be holding essay and art contests for local children who wish to express their love of the deer, and prizes for these contests will be awarded from the Friends of the White Deer Fund. We will be hiring photographers and film technicians in order to visually document the beautiful deer. Films and photos will be put at the disposal of media and educators with the intention of raising public awareness about the special value of the deer.

Friends of the White Deer are eagerly looking for your further suggestions for spreading our message of humane protection of the deer. If you have a great idea, or an interesting resource to share with us, we want to hear from you.